2014 J/24 World Championship - Will Welles’ Cougar clinches

by Julie and Christopher Howell on 27 Sep 2014 2014 J/24 World Championship - With just a few points between Will Welles Cougar (USA) and Mauricio Santa Cruz Bruschetta (BRA) there was no room for error in the final two races of the 2014 J/24 World Championship hosted by Sail Newport.

Welles had used his throw-out on Thursday, so the only way to assure a win was to stay ahead. And that’s what he did. Sailing with Nick Turney, Richard Bowen, Daniel Rabin and Luke Lawrence, Welles sealed the deal with a 2, 5 to win the day and the World Championship with 38 points. Mauricio Santa Cruz’s Bruschetta (BRA) settled for second place with a total of 55 and points, while John Mollicone’s Team Helly Hanson (USA) finished in the show position with 70 points.

Welles tipped his hat to his team, crediting their crew work in addition to a little luck throughout 10 races over five days. 'The whole mental aspect is huge,' Welles said. 'There’s a reason why everyone on the team gets a trophy at the end of this.' Cougar had a solid week, but notched a 46 in Race seven. 'We had a tough day Thursday, and it felt like the dream might be over.' Welles praised Danny for picking the team up after that score. 'He said let’s not let it snowball. Go out there and keep fighting.' This led to a rebound in the next contest. 'When one of us was lagging behind, we just threw a hand and pulled him up.'

Friday’s weather was sunny with wind speed from 10 to 12 kts out of the northeast. In the first race of the day, Welles finished second to Mollicone, while Greg Griffin’s Team Tarheel (USA) placed third. Matias Seguel’s Semi Pro (CHI) closed the regatta with a victory in race ten. Luis Olcese’s Scaramoush (PER) and Shigetoshi Shirahama’s White Squall (JPN) rounded out the top three.

The top 10:

1. USA, Will Welles, Cougar: 1, 6, 9, 1, 4, 4, 46, 6, 2, 5 [46] 38.0
2. BRA Mauricio Santa Cruz, Bruschetta: 12, 4, 10, 2, 1, 7, 9, 4, 10, 8 [12] 55.0
3. USA John Mollicone, Helly Hansen: 2, 24/SCP, 12, 10/RDG, 2, 9, 1, 10, 1, 33 [33] 71.0
4. USA Greg Griffin, Team Tarheel: 23/SCP, 7, 5, 3, 12, 8, 17, 8, 3, 70/DNF [70] 86.0
5. USA Travis Odenbach, Honey Badger: 23, 8, 2, 16, 3, 1, 2, 27, 31, 14 [31] 96.0
6. ARG Alejo Rigoni Gonzalez, Luca vive: 10, 25, 26/SCP, 4, 8, 2, 5, 11, 24, 12 [26] 101.0
7. CAN Rossi Milev, Clear Air: 8, 34, 14, 7, 17, 14, 14, 3, 4, 26 [34] 108.0
8. USA Mark Hillman, Sokokumaru: 4, 1, 22/SCP, 24/RDG, 70/DSQ, 6, 31, 5, 6, 10[70] 109
9. USAJ Mike Ingham, Nautalytics: 27, 29, 3, 8, 11, 3, 37, 17, 21, 4 [37] 123.0
10. USA Anthony Parker, Bangor Packet: 29, 14, 6, 5, 70/DSQ, 19, 28, 15, 9, 13 [70] 138.0

Hosted by Sail Newport, 69 teams competed from 13 nations (Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and the United States).

2014 J 24 World Championship Final Cumulative Results:

Bow   Sail Number Yacht Name Yacht Design Owner/Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Race 9 Race 10 T O Total 2014 World Championship Racing   One Design Division     J 24     1. 62 USA 5362 Cougar J 24 Will Welles 1 6 10 1 4 4 46 6 2 5 [46] 39.0     2. 37 BRA 37 Bruschetta J 24 Mauricio Santa Cruz 12 4 11 2 1 7 9 4 10 8 [12] 56.0     3. 35 USA 5235 Helly Hansen J 24 John Mollicone 2 24/SCP 12 10/RDG 2 9 1 10 1 33 [33] 71.0     4. 12 USA 5287 Team Tarheel J 24 Greg Griffin 23/SCP 7 5 3 12 8 17 8 3 70/DNF [70] 86.0     5. 33 USA 5432 Honey Badger J 24 Travis Odenbach 23 8 2 16 3 1 2 27 31 14 [31] 96.0     6. 1 ARG 5480 Luca vive J 24 Alejo Rigoni Gonzalez 10 25 27/SCP 4 8 2 5 11 24 12 [27] 101.0     7. 23 CAN 5441 Clear Air J 24 Rossi Milev 8 34 15 7 17 14 14 3 4 26 [34] 108.0     8. 70 USA 5430 Sokokumaru J 24 Mark Hillman 4 1 22/SCP 24/RDG 70/DSQ 6 31 5 6 10 [70] 109.0     9. 43 USA 5443 Nautalytics J 24 Mike Ingham 27 29 3 8 11 3 37 17 21 4 [37] 123.0     10. 58 USA 58 Bangor Packet J 24 Anthony Parker 29 14 6 5 70/DSQ 19 28 15 9 13 [70] 138.0     11. 44 URU 5044 Extasis J 24 Pedro Garra 14 3 14 6 18 13 42 31 15 30 [42] 144.0     12. 2 USA 5482 Pipe Dream J 24 Mike Marshall 13/SCP 13 9 10 70/DSQ 5 26 23 28 28 [70] 155.0     13. 65 CHI 5464 Semi Pro J 24 Matias Seguel 21 5 31 19/SCP 5 18 36 28 30 1 [36] 158.0     14. 57 USA 5257 Mental Floss J 24 Aidan Glackin 25 15 18 17/RDG 9 26 45 21/SCP 12 16 [45] 159.0     15. 27 USA 2785 SeaBagsJ24.com J 24 Carter White 19 42 1 18 27/ZFP 12 7 16 37 27 [42] 164.0     16. 31 CHI 5431 Gringa DC J 24 Vernon Robert 3 2 17 23/SCP 70/DSQ 10 48 26 5 46 [70] 180.0     17. 50 JPN 5450 GEKKO J 24 Nobuo Nakazawa 40/SCP 9 70/DSQ 20 16 28 31 2 33 9 [70] 188.0     18. 51 USA 5253 3 Big Dogs J 24 Pat Toole 18 20 28 30 22 25 35 56 7 7 [56] 192.0     19. 63 ARG 5463 Cacique J 24 Sergio Pendola 7 51 70/DSQ 34/RDG 6 20 29 29/SCP 8 11 [70] 195.0     20. 6 USA 5472 Panceta Doble J 24 John Wilsey 17 17 26 23 29 15 8 36 34 37 [37] 205.0     21. 54 ARG 5499 Elvis J 24 Nicolas Cubria 9 35 28/SCP 11 7 52/SCP 33 57 14 20 [57] 209.0     22. 48 JPN 4855 White Squall J 24 Shigetoshi Shirahama 19/SCP 42/SCP 24 45/SCP 70/DSQ 11 24 25 27 3 [70] 220.0     23. 18 PER 4618 Scaramoush J 24 Luis Olcese 34 62/SCP 22 32/RDG 10 17 47 59 19 2 [62] 242.0     24. 72 USA 3775 Blitz J 24 Al Constants 42/SCP 16 7 42/SCP 20 48 3 35 32 50 [50] 245.0     25. 45 BAR 3145 Hawkeye J 24 Robert Povey 24 26 41 34/RDG 31 24 58/SCP 51 20 19 [58] 270.0     26. 38 USA 3938 Bob Dylan J 24 Mike Sudofsky 37 30 16 34 36 40 55 13 41 24 [55] 271.0     27. 40 JPN 4085 Fox J 24 Keiji Kondo 20 28 34 31 24 70/DNF 4 43 44 47 [70] 275.0     28. 46 PER 5451 Wayra J 24 Javier Arribas 11 24 70/DSQ 45/RDG 70/DSQ 41/SCP 6 37/SCP 13 29 [70] 276.0     29. 68 JPN 5260 Tempus J 24 Koji Matsumoto 38 44 43 13 43 40/SCP 30 21 60 6 [60] 278.0     30. 60 CAN 4260 Navtech.ca J 24 Thomas E. Barbeau 66/SCP 38 23 27 70/DSQ 30 38 7 36 21 [70] 286.0     31. 17 USA 2917 Long Shot J 24 John Poulson 51 22 30 14 40/SCP 16 49 48 17 70/DNF [70] 287.0     32. 55 USA 4255 Dogfish J 24 Bob Kinsman 30 30/SCP 27 31/SCP 28 39 56 40/SCP 35 32/SCP [56] 292.0     33. 71 USA 5471 Tremendous Slouch J 24 Scott Milne 47/SCP 50 19 32 33 35 32 34 39 22 [50] 293.0     34. 56 ARG 5459 Cocoon J 24 Fernando Montes 47/SCP 49 13 21 23 50/SCP 70/DNF 59/SCP 11 23 [70] 296.0     35. 29 USA 1829 Bash J 24 Ron Medlin, Jr. 28 33 70/BFD 24 40/ZFP 21 23 20 49 64/SCP [70] 302.0     36. 64 CAN 1964 Drivers Wanted J 24 Ted Bartlewski 22 40 58/SCP 29 51/SCP 38 10 67 26 31 [67] 305.0     37. 74 GER 5475 JJONE J 24 Frithjof Schade 15 12 50 36/RDG 70/DSQ 45 64 38 18 35 [70] 313.0     38. 4 USA 3004 Classic J 24 James Howard 49 11 25 34 70/RAF 53 41 44 50 17 [70] 324.0     39. 10 PER 3510 Tiamat J 24 Lucas Peschiera 47 31 54 19 46/ZFP 41 52 12 40 39/SCP [54] 327.0     40. 53 USA 4453 Bearlymuven J 24 Lindsey Nahmias Turowski 70/DNC 36 35 36 70/DSQ 22 12 45 58 15 [70] 329.0     41. 47 CAN 1947 BayGull - Accenture J 24 Nicolas Mabboux 59 39 46 25 21 23 61 32/SCP 43 45/SCP [61] 333.0     42. 15 MEX 1585 S J 24 Kenneth Porter 44 62 52 39/SCP 33/SCP 43 44 29 16 40 [62] 340.0     43. 32 USA 2532 Roo J 24 Shawn Murray 61 56 4 42/RDG 45 62 39 9 52 34 [62] 342.0     44. 22 USA 3577 OZ J 24 Rolf Turnquist/Bill Allen 60 48 33 66/SCP 55/ZFP 37 11 40 23 41 [66] 348.0     45. 30 USA 1530 Mr. Hankey J 24 Andrew Carey 57/SCP 37 42 22 40 55 18 42 58/SCP 44 [58] 357.0     46. 25 CAN 2577 A1 J 24 Thomas Taylor 41 46 39 70/DSQ 39 44 20 58 38 36 [70] 361.0     47. 3 USA 4103 OZ J 24 Tom Doran 42/SCP 28/RDG 47/SCP 43 37 32 43 31/SCP 61 58 [61] 361.0     48. 75 CAN 5275 Journey J 24 Blair Dinsdale 54 57/SCP 37 15 38 70/DSQ 13 67/SCP 22 60 [70] 363.0     49. 39 CAN 3935 Mr. H J 24 Michael Howarth 31 19 56 33 70/DSQ 52 25 47 63/SCP 42 [70] 368.0     50. 8 USA 78 Buschwhacker J 24 Dan Busch 39 18 29 38 70/DNF 36/SCP 58 53/SCP 29 69/SCP [70] 369.0     51. 42 USA 4242 Motorhome J 24 Joshua Bone 70/SCP 70/SCP 44 40 34 42 30/SCP 1 54/SCP 55 [70] 370.0     52. 59 USA 1359 Shifty J 24 Martin Gallagher 48 27 48 39 42 60 40 49 25 56 [60] 374.0     53. 73 USA 2573 Youth J24 USA J 24 Liam McCarthy 43 32 45 28 70/DNF 70/DNS 27 32 55 43 [70] 375.0     54. 11 CAN 4331 Adrenaline Rush J 24 Ben Maloney 60/SCP 47 38 44 41/ZFP 56 22/SCP 39 48 59 [60] 394.0     55. 67 USA 267 BadMoon J 24 Kelly Holmes-Moon 46 52/SCP 70/BFD 42 70/DSQ 54 54 19 57 18 [70] 412.0     56. 69 USA 3969 Tasmanian Devil J 24 Steve Wood 32 59 53 47 70/DSQ 50 19 55 46 53 [70] 414.0     57. 76 USA 5476 Velocidad J 24 Christopher Stone 20/SCP 70/RET 70/BFD 48/RDG 25 34 68 37 45 70/DNF [70] 417.0     58. 19 USA 4119 Little Martha J 24 Chris Clancy 57 41 32 46 35 47 57 63 70/SCP 49 [70] 427.0     59. 24 USA 2324 Heffa J 24 Margaret Borden 36 55 59 41 14 46 57/SCP 62 62 66/SCP [66] 432.0     60. 5 MEX 4905 Monster Fish J 24 Luis Alvarez 55 58 36 48/RDG 46 58 60 64 64 54 [64] 479.0     61. 28 CAN 3729 A-salt J 24 Edmond Rees 63 52 55 53/SCP 70/DSQ 49 22 61 63 70/DNF [70] 488.0     62. 34 USA 3477 Half Ass J 24 David Noble 70/SCP 70/DNF 62 52 44 63 21 50 66/SCP 61 [70] 489.0     63. 16 MEX 5017 El Jetón J 24 Aroldo de Rienzo 64 61 47 60/RDG 70/DSQ 57 60/SCP 41 67 39 [70] 496.0     64. 9 USA 1898 Critter J 24 James Baurley 62 64 49 49 47 63/SCP 63 61/SCP 53 51 [64] 498.0     65. 20 USA 5020 Dr. Feelgood J 24 Lambert Lai 52 57 70/BFD 48 62/ZFP 59 70/SCP 60 54 63 [70] 525.0     66. 66 CAN 3366 Premature grey J 24 Stephan Blais 58 63 58 55 70/DSQ 61 59 70/SCP 66 62 [70] 552.0     67. 61 USA 2961 Siren J 24 Tonja Holmes-Moon 66 70/DNF 70/SCP 50 49 70/DNF 62 70/SCP 65 52 [70] 554.0     68. 26 IRL 5285 Bandit J 24 Luke Mc Bride 67 70/DSQ 60 53 50 64 67 70/SCP 70/DSQ 70/SCP [70] 571.0     69. 41 USA 4177 Significant Other J 24 Russell Cook 68 65 61 54 70/DSQ 70/DNF 66 68 70/DSQ 64 [70] 586.0